September is a hard month for me. I love-hate September. There is the good: the kids start school, it's the start of the downhill side of the deathly heat of summer in Texas, there is the possibility it could rain, it's the first sign of fall coming... The bad? Well, pretty much the flip-side of all the good parts: the kids are going to school so that makes me kind of sad, summer is supposed to be over, yet its still 100 degrees outside, and its not actually fall yet!

Early September is definitely too early to start wearing sweaters, decorating with pretty leaves and pumpkins, and cooking up all the cozy, aromatic recipes of fall. Except that I really want to. So badly. Adding to the problem I have is that all those amazing autumnal vegetables I love and want to cook with aren't really in season yet. So I have to find things to cook that will appease my need for cozy-fall feelings but also are more appropriate for the actual season.

Thankfully the internet is full of handy charts and info-graphics that can remind you what is in season with a quick google search. So while I was sad that none of my favorite fall things are on the list yet, it provided some solid inspiration for things to make until October finally decides to come.

Design by Alice Mongkongllite / BuzzFeed

LOTS of these things are favorites in our house so my brain started cooking. Eggplant is immediately off the list, Aaron is super allergic and we can't even have it in the house, so unfortunately for any of you who are eggplant lovers (like my mom) there will probably not going to be any recipes with eggplant on the blog.

However, my kids are huge fans of apples, pears, and melons. Chanel loves mangoes, corn and plums. I'm a huge fan of raspberries and peppers and okra... my goodness so many ideas for things to make this month! I think there are going to be some creative pizzas coming this way with beets and arugula or figs and prosciutto. We could have a cozy night with some gumbo chock full of okra. I will probably make that sausage and pepper bake again, since it was such a hit!

Okay, but back to the issue at hand, what was I going to make today, right now, to feed the kids for the week? Inspired by this Averie Cooks bread, I decided on making some Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins with a crumble topping borrowed from my banana bread. These muffins did the trick. Hondo has been gobbling them up.

Before I get to the recipe, there are just a couple notes I want to share about muffin making.

For a popped-up muffin with a pretty top, make sure your cupcake tins are full. That means batter all the way to the top of the liner. So even if your recipe says it makes twelve, if the tins aren't full they won't pop up over the top and have that pretty muffin shape, they will look flatter like a cupcake. So maybe you get nine muffins instead of twelve (this recipe should make 12).
I like to use two liners instead of one. This is for a couple reasons - if you chose a pretty decorated liner or a color, it will be more clear and pop if there are too since they are pretty translucent. Also, often some grease will seep into the liner and can leave them very shiny and soggy, they can rip more easily when getting pulled off.
Also, spray your liners with some cooking spray after putting them in the cupcake tins. It might sound crazy (it did to me when Aaron suggested it), but it helps the liners peel off cleanly without taking half the cake or muffin with them and also prevents some of that seeping-grease problem.

Also for this recipe I recommend using fresh raspberries, not frozen. First, I can't seem to ever find a bag of just frozen raspberries and not a berry mix. Second, I find that frozen fruit can bleed and sink, so you end up with a soggy-bottomed muffins. Lastly, because of the size of fresh raspberries, I think cutting them in half means you get bites with good, full berry flavor, but not so much that the bread around it is soggy.

Print Recipe

Raspberry Chocolate-Chip muffins

Makes 12 standard muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 oz. fresh raspberries, washed, patted dried and halved
1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 batch crumble topping (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cupcake tin; line with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cooled butter with the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk together and then whisk in the egg.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Carefully fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips, the raspberries can smush easily.

Fill each cupcake tin to the top of the liner with batter. Top each muffin with crumble topping.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden browned and a tooth pick comes out clean.

Print Recipe

crumble topping

Ingredients:

3 tbs. butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup of flour

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. When the butter is cool enough to touch, use your fingers to crumble it into pea-sized pieces. Top the muffins with equal amounts before baking.

These muffins are a huge favorite of mine this time of year for a couple reasons: 1) anyone who has a garden has tons of zucchini, 2) they taste a bit like fall and 3) they are a super easy breakfast to hand my kids when we are inevitably running late to school drop-off. They also make great lunch "desserts" that have fruit and vegetables in them.

I don't think roasting the bananas is absolutely mandatory, but highly recommended. They blend in so smooth and the roasting brings out all the goodness of the banana flavor. The sour cream can also be substituted with plain or vanilla yogurt if you have to - vanilla yogurt will yield a little bit sweeter muffin, but each time I have had to just use what I've got they have come out just fine.

Aaron has also suggested that I add a crumble topping or toss in some chocolate chips. I do make a crumble topping for my banana bread and its wonderful, so I will include that recipe too in case you want to sweeten these up. I have yet to add chocolate chips though, but I'm sure it would be wonderful!

Print Recipe

Roasted-Banana Zucchini Muffins

Yields 12 standard muffins or 6 jumbo

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
1 cup shredded zucchini, about 1 medium/small zucchini
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger (you can also use 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Butter a baking sheet and slice your bananas length-wise and place them on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until bubbly and fragrant. Remove and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Set aside.

Lower the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, baking soda and salt. Mix and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add the roasted bananas, include as much of the syrupy juice from the baking sheet as you can. Mix until well combined.

Whip in the eggs and vanilla, until smooth.

Add the sour cream mixture and combine. The sour cream mixture will have puffed up a little from the reaction between the baking soda, salt and cream.

Stir in the zucchini. Finally, mix in the flour and spices until you have an even batter.

Distribute the batter evenly among a lined 12-cup cupcake pan. I use two cupcake liners per cup because I feel like it prevents the bottoms of the muffins from browning too quickly. If you are topping with crumble, put the topping on now.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown (add five minutes or so if you are baking jumbo muffins, a toothpick should come out clean).

Print Recipe

Crumble Topping

Ingredients:

3 tbs. butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup of flour

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. When the butter is cool enough to touch, use your fingers to crumble it into pea-sized pieces. Top the muffins with equal amounts before baking.